Cadillac and Packard's new 1948 models represented two takes on affordable luxury motoring

The year is 1948. You've worked hard through the war years, and have been nursing along that old Chevrolet or Studebaker while you've built your savings. Like many Americans, you're ready to purchase a new automobile, but you want something finer than a run-of-the-mill low- or mid-priced car. You want the prestige of America's finest motorcars...and those automakers have just the ticket for you.

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Cadillac and Packard, the premier American nameplates remaining after World War II, have both extended their lineups down into the mid-price range, making them affordable to the comfortably middle-class consumer; Cadillac's example is the Series 61, which starts at $2,833, while Packard offers the Standard for $2,150 and the Deluxe Eight for $2,350. While these prices represent about $1,000 more than the typical low-priced Ford, they are roughly equivalent to a Hudson Commodore or Oldsmobile 98, and therefore represent a bargain entry into the rarefied realm of luxury automobiles.
We were presented with the rare opportunity to compare two of these entry-luxury 1948 cars--the Cadillac Series 61 Sedan and Packard Deluxe Eight Touring Sedan--courtesy of their owner, Tony Ogarek. We met Tony and his incredibly preserved Deluxe Eight at the SURVIVOR Collector Cars show, where the Packard won a coveted ZZenith award, denoting it as one of the best-preserved vintage automobiles in existence. He told us of his equivalent-year, competing Cadillac at home in Frankfort, Illinois.
The Cadillac represented Tony's entry into the collector-car hobby--he purchased it in 1991--and it was the culmination of a lifetime of interest in 1940s American cars. "It was a California car that came to Illinois in 1986. Its black enamel paint is probably 35 years old, but according to the Cadillac archives, it was originally painted Tyrolian Grey Metallic. The man I bought it from had left it outside for three years, and it was on the cusp--in the right hands and with some TLC and work as you went along, it could be a nice driver, but in the wrong hands, it would become a salvage parts car for somebody's rusted convertible."
This black four-door sedan certainly fell into the right hands, as Tony is an ASE-certified technician and an automotive instructor at the local high school. When it was new, his Series 61 Sedan represented Cadillac's first all-new post-war car design, and its Fisher-built "C" body was shared with the pricier Series 62 model. The Sedan had a new notchback design--a treatment previously reserved for the more expensive Series Cadillacs, and not seen on a 61 Sedan since 1941--as well as a clear new dashboard treatment. While the ergonomic instrument cluster was a talking point, it was the car's "smart, new 'rudder-type' rear fenders," as the dealer brochure termed them, that captured the imagination, having been inspired by the twin tails of the 1940 Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane, and marking the start of this GM division's most iconic styling cue of all time.
While the six-passenger car's styling was new, its mechanical components were carried over. The exclusive engine was Cadillac's three-main bearing, 346.4-cu.in. L-head V-8, which featured a 3½- x 4½-inch bore and stroke and a 7.25:1 compression ratio. A Carter WCD dual downdraft carburetor with equalized manifolding contributed to its hearty 150hp at 3,400 RPM and 283-lbs.ft at 1,600 RPM. On Tony's car, this power was routed through the optional four-speed Hydra-Matic gearbox, via a 3.36:1 rear axle ratio, to the 8.20 x 15-inch rear tires. The unassisted four-wheel drums offered 208 square inches of braking surface, and steering was by unassisted recirculating ball.
Tony's 113,000-mile Cadillac required a bit of work to bring it to its current, mechanically reliable state. "I've ground the valves, replaced the timing chain and gear, rebuilt the carburetor, the starter and generator. The transmission was rebuilt by AAMCO back in 1972. I've gone through the brakes a couple of times; I got tired of doing this, so I had White Post Restorations resleeve the wheel cylinders and master cylinder with brass, and I've installed new flex hoses and had the brake shoes relined as needed. It also got suspension work, with new leaf springs fitted in the rear, and all four knee-action shocks rebuilt. I put it on the alignment rack at school, and the kids got a hoot out of helping to align the front end," Tony said. "I have it so that now you could literally spin a quarter on the air cleaner, she runs that nice and quiet."
Like the Cadillac, Tony's Packard Touring Sedan was equally notable for 1948, representing the firm's Twenty-Second Series. It wore groundbreaking new "Free-flow styling," which featured fully integrated front and rear fenders. The aerodynamic body was forward-thinking, but Packard's traditional grille shape was retained to satisfy traditionalists. Inside, the symmetrical "Console-Key" instrument panel featured newly luminescent "Flite-Glo" instruments.
Also traditional was this car's five-main bearing, 288.64-cu.in. L-head straight-eight, an engine used only in the standard and Deluxe Eight lines. Its 3½-x 3¾-inch bore and stroke and 7.0:1 compression ratio, allied with a Carter WDO two-barrel Model 644SA dual downdraft carburetor, helped the four-door sedan make 130hp at 3,600 RPM and 226-lbs.ft. at 2,000 RPM. Packard didn't offer a fully automatic transmission in 1948, but our feature car has the next best thing: the "Electromatic clutch" with overdrive. This $123 option, identified by a red clutch pedal pad, used vacuum and electric relays to eliminate the need to clutch while shifting and idling in gear. Once on the move, the 3.9:1 rear axle ratio, combined with its fourth-gear 0.76:1 overdrive ratio, provided adequate acceleration and cruising capabilities, and worm-and-roller steering turned the 6.50 x 15-inch tires, which were slowed by shoes acting on the four-wheel drum brakes' 171.5 square inches of surface area.
Despite its spectacular presentation, this 40,000-mile original car also required considerable work to bring it to its current condition. "I came across it in a Chicago Tribune ad," Tony recalls. "I'd recently read an article about how straight-eights drive differently than anything else, and I was intrigued. Also, my grandfather bought a 1948 Packard in 1949--the car my father learned to drive on; I'd heard great family stories about Grandpa's Packard. This car was up on jack stands in a detached, unheated garage, where it had been for the past seven years.
"The seller had put maybe 300 miles on it in the time he'd owned it. The wheel cylinders were shot. I removed the gas cap and sniffed, and you could smell the varnish. I learned the gas tank was half-full, and the storage had caused condensation build-up in the tank--the metal that was exposed had rusted. I made an offer that was accepted three weeks later. The car came with numerous spare parts and paperwork, including the original bill of sale, which showed it was sold new in Chenoa, Illinois. I am the fourth owner."
Tony continues: "The Packard needed carburetor and fuel system work. I had a local radiator shop boil out the gas tank and seal it with a two-part epoxy; I also rebuilt the carburetor and fuel pump and blew out the fuel lines. After about 10 years, that epoxy started delaminating, and I'd find cloudy gas in the carburetor bowl and fuel filter. My Packard parts shop, Max Merritt Auto, has a franchise for Gas Tank RENU, so they cut open the tank, sandblasted it clean, baked on their product, then sealed and coated the tank's exterior with a factory-style finish. This has solved the bulk of the driveability problems I've had with the car." The Deluxe Eight also received brass-sleeved brake and master cylinders and new brake shoes and lines.
These entry-luxury 1948 sedans led very different lives, so their conditions vary. "The Cadillac has seen better days. It has more miles, an older repaint and the interior is a bit worn--there have been attempts to face-lift it," he explains. "The Packard has low miles, and the interior is original. It offers a more true representation of how it came from the factory." That said, Tony enjoys both cars, and has definite opinions on how they compare.
"They're both nicely accessorized base models," he says. "The Cadillac has the Hydra-Matic, fog lamps, an AM radio with a vacuum-operated power antenna and front and rear speakers, and an under-seat heater for the rear compartment. The Packard came loaded with front and rear bumper guards, fog lamps, curb feelers on the passenger side, a windshield visor, a passenger side mirror, an AM radio with a front speaker, an exhaust deflector, and a Schrader valve that sticks through the rear body with a hose that connects to the spare tire, to check the spare tire's pressure without opening the trunk. Oddly, it doesn't have windshield washers for the wipers.
"Even though it's been referred to as the 'pregnant elephant' and 'upside-down bathtub,' you can argue that the Packard is more modern by design, although the pointed nose says pre-1940," Tony comments. "But you can see more modern design influences in the Cadillac interior and some sheetmetal, although both cars' fit and finish leave much to be desired by today's standards. Neither car has been disassembled, so their doors and hoods close the way they originally did, and some gaps are larger than others; it's nowhere near what we now expect. The interior materials quality from that time period was quite good, though."
Unsurprisingly, the Cadillac's larger size--its wheelbase is six inches longer, with a total of 10 more inches overall--pays dividends in interior room over the competing Packard. "The Cadillac interior is noticeably wider than the Packard's interior, with more floor space for your feet," Tony says. "The Packard's wheelbase was essentially square, with the back tires tracking evenly with the fronts; Cadillac made their rear track wider to keep the rear seat as wide as the front, making up for the rear wheels' intrusion. Both cars' ease of entry and exit is a bit cumbersome in the back seats because of the curvature of the wheel well and because they have outboard armrests. Headroom in both cars is respectable, although the Packard's visor causes me to hunch down at stoplights; if the visor weren't there, the vision would probably be comparable to the Cadillac's. Ventilation on both cars is fantastic; on hot days, when you're moving, you can open the vent and adjust the vent windows, and enjoy a nice breeze."
The Cadillac has a predictable edge in driveability, thanks to its more powerful V-8 engine, automatic gearbox and wider brakes. "You're not going to set speed records, but you know you've got some horsepower," Tony says. "It's a nice highway car, a nice boulevard cruiser. I took it on a 200-mile Dixie Highway tour, and on the way home, I had to see what she would do. It was an open road, straight and with clear sightlines, and I took it up to 85 MPH. You couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I lost about a quart of transmission fluid doing that, but was it worth it? Sure!" he laughs. Tony notes that his Series 61 has a bit of steering play, though, and its steering box requires attention, unlike the Deluxe Eight's tight steering.
"The Packard is as solid as can be, and it holds the road nicely at 65-70 MPH. Flathead engines don't generally like high RPM, but both will keep up with modern traffic, although for long cruises, they prefer 55-65 MPH," Tony notes. "The straight-eight engine runs very smoothly, but it may be a bit underpowered compared to the Cadillac. An uprated engine, like the 145hp 327-cu.in. straight-eight or the 160hp 356-cu.in. version, might have been the better choice for driveability.
"The three-speed manual's overdrive helps; it has an electronic solenoid, and when you shift into third gear and lift off the gas pedal, it engages. It releases automatically when you downshift. Both engines seem to turn a similar RPM on the highway. I once got 14.7 MPG driving the Packard locally; I guess that's good for a car of that era, since I get that with my daily-driver 2003 GMC Yukon! But mechanically, they're both very reliable, strong engines that have very good reputations. Both have power curves that come in around 2,500-3,500 RPM--they make torque at the low end."
Keeping these 64-year-old sedans in fine fettle takes work, even for a trained automotive professional. "Back in that era, cars used oil that was little better than what they seal-coat driveways with today," Tony quips. "They required frequent oil changes, and the Cadillac engine does not have an oil filter. I run straight 30-weight oil, and change it frequently: every autumn before I put them away.
"I check all of the fluids every year. If the transmission fluid still looks fresh after a few years' driving, I'll stay with it--outside of normal fluid changes, they haven't required any transmission work. I'll flush the brake fluid every two years to prevent hydroscopic problems, and I flush the cooling system every two years as well, checking it seasonally with a coolant hydrometer," Tony explains.
His detailing routine is equally thorough. "I will wax them about once a year, depending on if I'm going to a show, and how dirty the car's gotten as I've driven it. When I bought the Cadillac, it had been parked under a willow tree; it had tons of sap on it. All of the horizontal panels were turning gray, so it took extensive work to get the color back: I used Liquid Ebony and an electric buffer. I've maintained it using Meguiar's and Turtle Wax synthetic products, which are easy to work with, and I save my old toothbrushes to get wax out of the chrome.
"The Packard is more difficult because it's an original finish, and there are some spots where the paint is rubbed through. I used a buffer on it once, and wound up making some areas worse. Now I only wax it when it's really needed, because that paint tends to go chalky and cloudy when it gets dry. The Meguiar's and Turtle Wax synthetic products have done wonders for the paint, but rain is a problem for this car: the paint is really susceptible to water spots. I go nuts if I'm caught out in the rain, because I know the work it will require to get the spots out," Tony says with a laugh.
"The 1948 Cadillac's popularity over the Packard isn't surprising, considering that it's bigger, more powerful and has a fully automatic transmission," Tony says. "Interestingly, both cars represent the stepchildren of their brands: Everybody loves the 1949 Cadillac's overhead-valve V-8, and the 1948-'50 Packards aren't favored by the Packard clientele. I may have a thing for ugly ducklings, but these cars were inexpensive, and were a great way to get into this hobby," he muses. "For me, the Cadillac represents a lot of growing pains and making mistakes, and I've learned a lot through that car. The Packard has represented refining my skills, and I've used better judgment with it. They've both been wonderful experiences."
Owner's View
My grandfather bought his first car in 1949; it was a used 1948 Packard. My father learned how to drive on that car. I'd heard stories at family get-togethers, when Dad and his brother and sister talked about riding in Grandpa's Packard up to the relatives' farm in Wisconsin, how he would never go above 45 MPH.
When I purchased this car, I told my father about it, and he lit up. 'You got a '48 Packard? What color is it?' 'It's blue.' 'Well, Grandpa's was black.' When I got it running, I drove it to my dad's. When he came out, his face lit up. I flipped him the keys, and you'd have thought I was the father giving the 16-year-old his first set of keys. We drove around for the next hour and a half. It brought back memories Dad forgot he had. I never saw anybody work a clutch so nicely and so smooth... it was poetry in motion, watching Dad drive that car. He was in seventh heaven.
"The Packard will end up a family heirloom--with my father and that connection, there's no way I can get rid of it."- Tony OgarekSPECIFICATIONS: